Enduro 650

This bike now has a 65 degree head angle, 425mm chainstay, and a bottom bracket which alternates between 345mm and 350mm depending on tyre size. It has a a longer reach too with a sizeable 170mm travel front and rear. The bike does not have Ohlins. Which is a shame.

Enduro 29

With 165mm rear and 160mm front travel the big wheel Sworks is the real flagship of the range, and the bike we spent most time on. With the new Ohlins 36 fork and damper taking care of the hits via the FSR suspension (now with just one universal bearing size) the bike has had some geometry changes whilst having one eye on the fact that they couldn’t go too radical with the bottom bracket as it would be even lower with the chunky 2.8-3.0 x 27.5” wheels bolted in. The main numbers are 432mm chainstay and 352mm bottom bracket with the 2.3x 29” tyres. Yes it’s a shade high but with a 27.5”x3.0 tyre the bb is just over the 330mm mark. Head angle is now slacker too, down to 66 degrees even with 29 rubber.

Componentry Highlights

The big news here is that the bottom bracket has returned to threaded 73mm standard.

Traverse 30mm wheels are on all bikes but the higher price bikes get the carbon versions. Rubber is Specialized’s own Butcher/Slaughter grid combo. All bikes have the excellent Guide brakes, own brand 780mm bar, the superb Command post (which were shimmed out to 34mm so news on the way there) and all 11 speed, a first for any Specialized bike.

Impressions

The 29 sets its path on a collision with Trek’s impressive new Slash. The Specialized Enduro 2017 has more travel, the very, very good Ohlins and the SWAT box. More than anything though riders will be questioning what the Specialized can offer that direct sales bikes do not. A lifetime warranty is a good start to answering a question that’s not really relevant seeing as nobody does a 29” wheel bike with this much travel.

Out of the blocks the Specialized Enduro drives well, into the first pile of root and rock it keeps quiet, the rear suspension feeling a touch more progressive than previous with the Ohlins (although we’re not certain on this). The Ohlins fork certainly feels like it has a bit more to give than the Lyric, which is still a good performer, and as impressive as the STX damper is we’d like to see more resistance to create something closer to lock-out as there was slightly too much rear bias on climbs. 12 speed Sram Eagle allows it to conquer impressively steep climbs, its light weight aided this too.

At first the bottom bracket figures seemed a touch high but in the deep rock that we found ourselves on the Sunshine Coast it allowed for good pedal clearance. The key point however is that the 29” wheel bike is super stable in rowdy ground. Bolt the big old 275×2.6″ wheels in and it becomes a different story with the low bottom bracket making it an absolute storm trooper through corners, engaging, dominating in root sections and giving cushion and grip at the same time.

Initial feelings then? Pretty much in the same vein as which the downhill Demo was launched…”Get Sick Soon” or rather…..get well soon Sam.

see also

CANYON SPECTRAL CF 9.0

CUBE FRITZZ 180 HPA SL

EVIL INSURGENT – BIKE TEST

MARIN HAWK HILL 2017

NORCO OPTIC

UK OPTIONS

S-WORKS 29er/650+ & 650B – Rocket Red Hyper Green colour way only with the 650+ not being spec’d with 2’6’s – Offered as a frame set only option to.

PRO – 29er/650+ & 650B – Rocket Red / Baby Blue – 650+ not being spec’d with 2’6’s

ELITE – 29er/650+ & 650B – BLUE/RED – 650+ not being spec’d with 2’6’s

COMP 650B GREY / BLACK Not being spec’d with 2.6’s

COMP 29er Green only

All 29er/650+ bikes will ship with 29er wheelsets.

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